Russian satellites have been stalking British military satellites, according to the head of the UK Space Command.
In an interview with the BBC, Maj Gen Paul Tedman has for the first time set out the level of interference from Moscow against the UK's space-based assets.
He said Russia had also been trying to jam the UK's military satellites with ground-based systems every week.
Last month, Germany's Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, said Russia had been shadowing satellites used by their military.
Gen Tedman gave details of how Russia was doing the same to the UK. They're interested in what we're doing and flying relatively close, he said.
They've got payloads on board that can see our satellites and are trying to collect information from them.
UK military satellites have been fitted with counter-jamming technologies, but Gen Tedman added: We're seeing our satellites being jammed by the Russians on a reasonably persistent basis.\
When asked how often, he replied weekly. He noted that this activity has increased since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Britain currently has half a dozen dedicated military satellites in orbit providing communications and surveillance, compared to over a hundred by the US, China, and Russia.
The combined Russian and Chinese fleet of satellites has increased by 70% over the past decade. Both nations have tested anti-satellite weapons, and the UK and US have warned that Russia is developing capabilities for nuclear weapons in space.
While the US sees China as a significant threat, Gen Tedman perceives Russia as a more immediate danger: The Chinese have by far the more sophisticated capability, but the Russians have more will to use their counter-space systems.
Gen Tedman expressed his concern not only about the threats but also the increasing congestion in space, with approximately 45,000 objects currently in orbit, including around 9,000 satellites. This year alone is expected to see another 300 rocket launches.
The general spoke during a visit to RAF Fylingdales, home to Britain's and America's Ballistic Missile Early Warning System. This system has been operational since 1963, where a modern 30-meter pyramid houses thousands of antennas capable of tracking objects as small as a tin can.
Inside the operations center, UK military personnel monitor activities round the clock, heavily relying on US satellite systems for missile detection.
Despite calls for increased UK investment in space defense, the nation spends only about 1% of its defense budget on this area, in stark contrast to France's 3% and the US's 5%.
Gen Tedman insists on priority for space initiatives, noting that around £450bn of the UK economy depends on space technologies that support military operations—from navigation to precision strikes.
The threats are evident, highlighted by alerts of missile launches, including those from Russia into Ukraine. The ongoing relevance of space defense has never been clearer, particularly given the legacy threat posed by Russia.
